DuPont plant in Louisiana fined $480,000 for releasing a cancer-causing chemical

RESERVE, La. (AP) — A chemical manufacturing plant west of New Orleans has agreed to pay a $480,000 federal fine and install equipment to stop the release of a cancer-causing chemical from a storage tank and pipe. The Advocate reports the consent agreement between DuPont and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was filed Sept. 25. That’s about 2½ years after an unannounced inspection found several releases of benzene at levels greater than federal rules allowed. A DuPont Specialty Products spokesperson says the release of the chemical did not affect employees or the community. The DuPont facility is located on the same site as Denka Performance Elastomers near LaPlace.